


Claus And Effect

by maschinenmensch



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: Christmas, F/F, Fluff, Holtzbert - Freeform, Tooth Rotting Fluff, Yeah I Wrote A Christmas Themed Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-28
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-09-02 18:54:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8679433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maschinenmensch/pseuds/maschinenmensch
Summary: As Christmas approaches, Erin attempts to reconcile her feelings for a certain blonde-haired engineer.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Oh hey, Thanksgiving is over and it's almost December. Let the mushy Christmas-themed Holtzbert fics begin!
> 
> This seemed like a better idea in my head than how I wrote it. Hopefully it doesn't suck too much (and it's not so fluffy y'all drown).

Three weeks before Christmas a rather large package arrived at the firehouse for Holtzmann.

“Ooh ooh, I’ve been waiting for this!” Holtz bellowed as she slid down the fire pole from her second floor lab. She practically sprinted toward Kevin and the FedEx driver, scribbling her signature on the delivery driver’s pad before carrying the box in a bear hug back toward the stairs.

“Need help with that baby?” Patty raised an eyebrow at the struggling Holtzmann, who was now dragging the package up the stairs.

“Nope, nope. It’s all good. I got it!” The engineer let loose a small grunt as she slowly made her way up the steps.

“Whatcha got in there Holtzy?”

“It’s a surpriseeeeeeeee Abby! If you’re good, maybe you’ll get to see it soon.” Holtzmann was grinning from ear-to-ear, her blue eyes sparkling.

_ I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an adult as giddy as Holtzmann during the holidays. _

Erin was silently watching the scene unfolding in front of her. Seeing Holtzmann gleefully bounding back up to the lab, dragging the large package behind her, filled her with more happiness than she thought possible. She had been trying to tamp down her growing affection for the engineer, rationalizing it in her mind that what she was feeling was just the effects of a very close friendship. But it was increasingly becoming difficult to deny what deep down in her heart she knew was reality.

_ I am falling for her. Hard. Harder than anyone else in my 42 years on this planet. _

Erin sighed and refocused on the article that she had been reading before Holtzmann’s package arrived. She attempted to ignore the sounds of Holtz’s footsteps running to-and-fro from the floor above, and the excited squeaks the engineer emitted as she opened up her package.

_ I just wish I knew if she feels the same way about me. _

\---

The closer Christmas drew, the punchier Holtzmann became. She came to the firehouse dressed in all sorts of festive outfits, one day showing up in what only could be described as a reindeer printed onesie, causing Patty to nearly choke on her morning cup of coffee when the engineer slid down the fire pole. And as annoying as Holtz’s holiday cheer could get at times, she seemed to know when it was appropriate to turn the charm on overdrive.

One dreary, snowy morning Erin grunted in frustration, balling up the piece of paper she had been writing on. She had been attempting to work out a particularly complex equation for the last hour. The physicist flung the wadded up ball in the direction of the trash bin and sighed loudly as she ripped a fresh sheet of paper out of her notebook to start from scratch.

“Take a break E.”

Erin jumped at the sound of Holtzmann’s voice behind her. She spun in her chair to see the engineer on one knee so she was nearly at eye-level with her. She had a candy cane hanging from each ear.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to make ya jump. You’ve just looked like you’ve been in pain for the last hour and I thought a treat could cheer you up.” Holtzmann tilted her head so one of the candy canes fell from her ear and directly into Erin’s lap.

The physicist couldn’t help but smile despite her annoyance. She grabbed the candy cane from her lap, trying to prevent herself from blushing. She failed miserably.

“Thanks Holtzy. You’re a good friend, you know that?”

Erin thought for a brief moment she detected a look of sadness flash across Holtz’s face.

_ I’m sure I just imagined that. I’m projecting… _

Holtzmann grabbed the other candy cane off her ear and peeled the wrapper off the straight end of it. She put it in her mouth, causing Erin to feel somewhat faint watching as the engineer swirled her tongue around the peppermint candy.

“No problem Gilbert. Anything I can do to make ya happy.” Holtzmann winked and stood back up, taking two steps at a time as she ran back up the stairs.

Erin sighed as she unwrapped part of the candy cane.

_ One of these days I’ll say the right thing. One of these days I’ll tell her how much she means to me. _

\---

“Dammit!”

It was the Sunday before Christmas and Erin had spent the last hour tearing apart her apartment looking for one of her notebooks. She was sure she had brought it home with her the day before from the firehouse, but now she assumed it was still sitting on her desk. 

_ I really need my notes if I’m going to finish this equation for Holtz by tomorrow. But I don’t want to have to go all the way back to the firehouse on a Sunday. _

Erin imagined how Holtzmann’s face would light up the following morning when she presented her with the data that would allow the engineer to finish a new component of the containment unit she had been struggling with for weeks. That alone was enough for Erin to grab a pair of boots and throw them on.

She knew Holtzmann would be alone at the firehouse. She had told the other three Ghostbusters she was working on a “somewhat volatile” piece of equipment today and that everyone should probably steer clear until Monday. Erin had expressed concern for Holtz’ well-being before leaving yesterday and asked if the engineer was sure she didn’t want some company.

“Nah, it’s ok Gilbert. I’ll be fine. Besides, I wouldn’t want to risk your pretty face for one of my dumb experiments.” Holtzmann had given her one of her trademark winks, which made Erin blush just remembering it.

_ Well Holtzy, you’re going to get a bit of company today whether you want it or not. _

Erin grabbed her coat, hoping the firehouse was still intact by the time she reached it.

\---

Erin spent most of the cab ride texting Holtzmann to let her know she was stopping by. Thus far, she had received no response. She figured the engineer was probably so engrossed in her work that she hadn’t seen the texts. It still made her feel a tad uneasy.

_ It’s fine. I’ll run in quick, say hello, grab the notebook. I’ll even have the cab wait for me, there’s no reason not to. _

When the taxi pulled up across the street from the firehouse Erin was shocked to see two school buses parked outside with several children excitedly running through the front door.

_ What the… _

“Hey, lady.” The cab driver tapped impatiently on the window that separated the two of them. “We’re here. You gonna get out?”

“Uh, sure,” Erin stammered, still somewhat stunned that something was going on at her place of work that was decidedly not Holtzmann conducting an experiment in private. She quickly settled her fare and practically ran across the street, determined to find out what in the world Holtz was up to.

When the physicist threw open the front door, she stopped dead in her tracks.

_ Oh my god… _

The firehouse was decked out in Christmas lights and garland, a medium sized tree decorated in the corner. There were probably four or five dozen children milling around the first floor, accompanied by a few adults. Their ages ranged from three or four years old to perhaps junior high aged. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, and Erin noted there was a table set up with what looked to be punch and cookies. When she turned to look at the staircase up to Holtzmann’s lab, her breath caught in her throat.

Sitting on the steps was a person decked out in a Santa Claus suit. They currently had a little girl sitting in their lap, attentive to what the child was saying. When the girl had finished talking, Santa reached behind themselves into a large sack, pulling out a gift wrapped box. The child excitedly grabbed it, looking at it with a sense of wonder before hugging Santa around their neck. She slid off Santa’s lap and ran toward a group of children, presumably her friends. Santa looked up - bright blue eyes met Erin’s own.

It was Holtzmann.

_ She set all this up without any of us knowing it. For all these kids. They’re so happy. _

It took all of Erin’s self control not to burst into tears. She swallowed thickly, continuing to look into Holtzmann eyes, eyes that looked to be somewhat fearful. The moment was over nearly as quickly as it begun, as a boy of about twelve sat next to her. Erin watched as the young man began talking to Holtz, the engineer listening intently to what he had to say. 

_ I bet that big package Holtzmann got last week was that Santa suit. She wears it...well. _

Erin waited until the boy had finished talking to Santa (who had also handed him a gift that was accepted eagerly) before approaching Holtz. The physicist looked down at the woman dressed as Santa Claus - she was nervously playing with the white gloves she was wearing as part of her costume.

“Hey Santa - need some help?”

A smile slowly spread across Holtzmann’s face, peeking just above the fake white beard she had adorned.

“Well, Santa does need their elves. I think you’d make a darn good one Gilbert.”

\---

“Are you mad I didn’t tell you and the other girls I was doing this?”

Erin looked up from sweeping up the assorted bits of tinsel and cookie crumbs on the floor. The last child had left the firehouse just a short time ago. Holtzmann was leaning up against a card table, her Santa hat and jacket discarded, red fuzzy pants held up by black suspenders over a plain white t-shirt. For whatever reason, the engineer was still wearing her fake beard.

“I wouldn’t say I was mad. I just wish I could have helped you out more. And I’m sure Abby and Patty would agree with me.”

Holtzmann shrugged as she kicked at a scuff on the floor with one of her black boots. 

“It’s not that I didn’t want you guys here or anything. It’s just - this is kind of personal for me.”

Erin propped the broom up against one of the desks and walked over to where Holtz was standing. She leaned up against the table as the engineer was, their shoulders brushing up against one another. The physicist grabbed one of Holtzmann’s hands as she began to speak in the rushed, stilted manner that signified she was about to speak about something that was difficult for her to express.

“My dad died when I was two - car accident. My mom had to raise four kids by herself, I was the youngest. She did her best - worked two jobs, always tried to be there for us when we needed her. But there was never enough money. Mom would sometimes not eat dinner for several days in a row to make sure we all had some food in our stomachs.”

Holtzmann let out a shaky breath. Erin rubbed the engineer’s hand comfortingly.

“Christmas was always the worst. My mom never wanted to accept a hand-out, but most years we’d get a ham from one of the local charities for Christmas dinner. One time we had a tree donated to us from a family friend. We didn’t have any ornaments so my siblings and I made some out of construction paper and paperclips we had lifted from school.”

The engineer stared blankly into space, expelling a sigh before continuing.

“My mom would always get us something for Christmas. A book, maybe a stuffed animal. When I was six she got me a tool set. I’m pretty sure it was second-hand, but she remembered how I liked to try to take things apart. It was my most prized possession. I actually still have it - it’s upstairs in the lab.”

Erin couldn’t help the single tear that spilled down her cheek as Holtzmann continued.

“We’d come back from the holiday break, all the kids would be showing off their new outfits, talking about the video games and other cool toys they got from Santa. They all found out pretty quickly that the Holtzmann kids didn’t really get anything for Christmas. They teased us all relentlessly for being poor.”

“Kids are the worst.” Erin said flatly. Holtzmann looked up at the physicist, remembering how she had also experienced teasing from classmates as a child, albeit for another reason. She smiled sadly.

“Anyway, now that I have the resources I wanted to give something back ya know? I called a few of the public schools around here and asked if they knew of any kids that might not have a good Christmas for whatever reason. They gave me a list of names and things they wanted from Santa. I’ve spent the last few weeks ordering gifts off the internet. I decorated the place last night. I almost fell off the ladder hanging those damn lights - that would’ve sucked. So - that’s that.”

“I just hope those kids all had a good time. I wish I could’ve done more.”

“You made all those children so happy - you could see it on all their faces that this was probably the best Christmas party they’ve ever been to.”

Erin turned so she was facing Holtzmann, positioning herself so their faces were inches apart. The engineer nervously put her hands on her waist, her eyes downcast, not daring to look into Erin’s own.

Summoning up more courage than she ever had to in her life, Erin angled her lips to brush against Holtzmann’s. There was a pause, neither woman daring to breathe. Erin moved her hands to the engineer’s shoulders and kissed her again, this time with more conviction. Holtzmann responded immediately, moaning quietly as they kissed for several minutes. The two scientists finally separated to catch their breath, their foreheads pressed against one another’s.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted you do to do that,” Holtzmann breathed against Erin’s lips.

“Why did you wait for me to make the first move?”

“I wanted to be sure…”

Erin brought her hand up to the engineer’s cheek and stroked it, despite the fact she was still wearing her Santa beard.

“I don’t want you to ever doubt how I feel about you Holtzmann.”

"How do you feel about me Erin?” Holtz’s voice was small and fearful, her eyes purposely fixated at a point in the distance.

_ Tell her… _

“Holtzy. I - I love you. I think I always have.”

Holtzmann looked at her in disbelief, her mouth open in shock.

Erin closed the gap between them again, kissing the engineer with all the passion she could muster. Holtzmann in turn ran her hands through auburn hair, eliciting a groan of appreciation.

When the two women finally broke apart, Holtzmann still had her eyes closed when she spoke, her breath warm against Erin’s ear.

“I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you Erin.”

Erin couldn’t help the tears from falling again. When Holtzmann pulled back to look at her, she noted that the engineer’s eyes were wet as well.

“Hey Holtzy? Can you take that damn beard off? I want to see what it’s like to kiss you smooth shaven.”

Holtzmann beamed.

“Well Santa’s already handed out all the presents. I guess the beard is no longer needed.”

Erin giggled as Holtz took her beard off and tossed it across the room.

“You’re the best present I’ve ever received,” Holtzmann murmured before kissing Erin again.

_ Same Holtzmann. Same. _

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the stupid title - honestly I think it took me almost as long to come up with that garbage than it did to write this whole dumb fic.
> 
> Comments are adored and revered. You can find me being a dork on tumblr - @geekmisconduct


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